So Sew Organized

Recently fellow blogger and friend MaryEllen posted 28 random things about herself . I thought I’d borrow her idea in honor of my milestone birthday, and share 25 random things about me today. Yup, I’m turning 25. Remember when I said you’d laugh when you found out my age ? Go ahead and do it now. :) 25 things you probably will wish you never knew about me... 1. I’ve lived in 3 states and one “foreign” country - Maine for 17 years, North Carolina for 5 years, Florida for 7 months and Nova Scotia, Canada for 2½ years. 2. ^ I can’t pick a favourite. I love different aspects of each place ^ 3. I own an old Apple laptop (the iBook G4 to be exact) and I’m shocked it didn’t quit on me long ago. I’m saving up for a replacement. 4. I use fleece sheets for 9 months out of the year. The other 3 months I use flannel. 5. Cooking is my least favourite household chore. 6. I used to be very much of a “people person.” Now I consider myself more of an introvert. 7. I love blogging and sewing. If I had ...

Happy Monday, friends! Just popping in with a quick update on my goals from last week. Today is promising to be another busy week, so I'm keeping this brief and then going to get to work! :) Last week , I set these goals: Hem pants {15 pair!!} Work on mending Finish new shop item Finish one post for another site Write 2 letters/emails Continue to read Won by Love {Norma McCorvey} and Tamate: the Life Story of James Chalmers {Richard Lovett} Work on switching up bedroom decor - I’m ready for a change! Memorize Philippians 3:10-12 This week, I'm setting the following goals: Work on hemming pants Post one new shop item Work on one post for another site Write 2 letters/emails  Continue to read Won by Love {Norma McCorvey} and Tamate: the Life Story of James Chalmers {Richard Lovett} Memorize Philippians 3:10-12 Start making culottes for one sister Celebrate my birthday! =) What are you working on this week? Are you having some busy days lately? How does setting goals help you?  ...

For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere have joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97! This library of homemaking helps includes topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools. Not only that, but they have also teamed up with 10 companies to bring you over $140 in bonus offers , giving you an affordable opportunity to get products you’ll use and love for only the cost of shipping, or in some cases, entirely for free! Are you already sold on this fantastic bundle? Click here to be taken to the sale! Want some more details first? Read on! :) What's Included in the Sale? When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bund...

Living here in Canada, it is sooo frustrating as a blogger when I come across a great deal, freebie or giveaway, only to find out that it is limited to the US. Major bummer! Canadians have feelings too, ya know! :) Thats why I get uber excited when I see a great deal that is even open to us “foreigners”...so I'm popping in with a rare weekend post to quickly give you a heads up so you can take advantage of this fantastic offer, too! For 6 days only, more than 75 widely-known bloggers and authors in the homemaking sphere have joined together to offer 97 of their most popular eBooks and eCourses, valued at just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97! This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools. Not only that, but the...

It is that time again...time to grab a handful of balloons and a slice of cake and join together for another Home Improvement Linky Party: the DIY Homemakers Edition! Balloons and cake optional... Just as we have for the past 3 months, we're coming together to share any improvements we've made to our homes or lifestyles. Pretty much anything goes - DIY projects, crafty ideas, new recipes, new hair care routine - anything that has made your life a little bit better over the last month. Here are some of the improvements that have been made by others over the past 3 months: Becky took a couple of months and made some pretty sweet changes to their guest bathroom. I love that window display! (or is it a mirror?) Kati has a fabulous system for grocery shopping and meal planning, and she whipped up some printables to boot! My kind of gal! :) Amanda tackled her fridge! Isn't it amazing how that space can get dirty so quickly?? Love her end result! Want to join these lovely ladi...

One of the perks of being an Etsy seller is the interaction I get to have with other small business owners. By participating in forums, getting advice on my shop, and helping others on their Etsy journey, I get to discover some fantastic shops and items that I enjoy greatly! Etsy is basically one big eye-candy extravaganza! =) These items and shops I love are saved in a handy "favourites" feature on Etsy...but unless you have an account with Etsy, you probably won't ever get to see them! So I thought it would be fun to periodically show you the goods that I am loving in Etsy-land and perhaps introduce you to some items you just can't live without. And I promise you'll meet some lovely people along the way! First up, some home decor. Jillian Rene Decor has many lovely items, but this pop of salmon caught my eye. How cute in a sunroom or even an outdoor patio??!! Out of all the handpainted signs at Saltbox House , this one caught my eye because I can completely ...

I was recently given the difficult fun task of making some valences for a local friend. You know how much I love making curtains {see others I’ve done here and here }  but this time was a bit different. My friend knew she wanted a combination curtain with several different fabrics, but she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted. The idea of doing Log Cabin quilt squares was thrown around, but in the end, she handed me a bag of fabrics to choose from and said, “Do whatever you want!” Now, having the liberty to play around with a bag full of fabrics is a fun day. :) But knowing that the end result was going to be hanging in her living room, not mine...well, that is a bit stressful. What if she doesn’t like them? What if I screw up and waste her whole bag of fabric?? So I took a couple of weeks to pour over some quilting books, compare different styles and ideas, and finally came up with a pattern that is all my own. I’m calling it: The idea is based on those Log Cabin squares, but wi...

Happy Monday, friends! I had a fantastic weekend, and I trust you did too! Here is a peek into mine... I was able to attend a ladies retreat at Forest Glen Bible Camp this weekend and wow, what a spiritually encouraging time it was! We heard from a fantastic speaker with a seriously amazing background - the kind of person that helps you to realize how much you really do have to be thankful for. {She hand-paints beautiful note cards if you'd like to check out her work !} Besides the truths that were learned from God's word, this retreat was a great time to make new friends, meet up with old ones, and just generally have a good time! I got picked to get adorned as a "princess"... don't be jealous.... Can't believe I just put that online!! I also got to meet up with some beautiful blogging friends. Here is Amanda now, singing a solo. I always enjoy hearing her sing! It was a fantastic, needful time for each lady that is in service to the Lord. In the type of ar...

Sometimes I feel that I’m getting so old that the evil in this world is just going to eventually smother me . I know, that made absolutely no sense. But it seemed like the best way to put it. I guess it is a combination of the two things that can get me down if I dwell on it. For starters, I am beginning to feel very old. I have a birthday coming up, a sort of mile-stone birthday...and for the first time in my life, I wish it wasn’t coming. I wish I didn’t have to get any older. I wish I could stall time and finish things I have yet to do. I’m really overreacting. When you find out how old I’m going to be, you’ll laugh out loud. I am not old, and I know that. But I’m older than I ever have been before, and I guess the seriousness of the fact that I can’t go back and change past events is really sinking in. Maybe that is a sign of maturity?? Ha! And then the evil in this world. Ya’ll, it is depressing. As time goes on, sin seems more prevalent than ever...and often it hurts. I mean, h...

I shared yesterday some of my background in memorizing Scripture, how I fell off the bandwagon after college, and some of my crazy thought process that brought me back around. Read all that here . It is really more interesting than I just made it sound. Today, I’d like to share how I make Scripture memory a daily habit - and the trial and error that led me to this system. I’ll start right out by spilling the beans - I use 3x5 note cards. And every Bible School student shudders… 3x5 note cards have the tendency to give me hives, but I found it was the easiest way. That must be why they were so encouraged in college. :) I did my best to avoid them...but couldn’t. They really make the system work. After trying a few different combinations, I decided that 3 verses a week is an attainable goal for me right now. That number may be different for you. Don’t be discouraged if you choose to just memorize one...a little progress is better than no progress at all! Every Monday morning I write out...

I read somewhere that at the age of 30, your mind begins to slow down. You are unable to remember as much as you could in your younger years, and a normal aging process begins to take place. When I read that, I panicked. And then I thought, ‘ how much can I cram in before I turn 30 ?’ :) This was just one reason why I began intentionally memorizing scripture several months ago. But for you to fully understand where I was coming from, you have to know some of my scripture memory history… I grew up always attending kid’s programs in our local church. Always there was verse memorization required, which seemed to come pretty easy for me. Because really, after a few years, many of the verses were the same. I am thankful for that repetition, as it drilled those verses into my head even further. But at the same time it gave my little inflated ego the idea that I “knew them all.” I didn’t have the whole Bible memorized, but I felt like I had the key verses down pat - and surely that was good ...

Dare I say that spring has finally arrived? I'm not sure...but it is finally looking promising. We actually had another snowfall on Friday night, but it ended up only being a dusting of "sugar snow"...and now things are looking up! I'm soooo anxious to pack away the winter gear and bring out the flip flops!! Here are some blessings from the last week that I added to my 1,000 Gifts list: 555. Discussing God's Word 556. Seeing earth through toddler eyes 557. Burned black on the frying pan 558. Baby curls against my cheek 559. Sleepy smiles 560. Comfy snuggling 561. Only a little snow (in April!) 562. Joy in bubbles blowing What gifts are you counting? ******************************************************************************************************************** Last week I was working on these goals: Finish sewing project for a friend Write 2 letters Get up by 8am each weekday - meh Begin reading 2 books Write one post for another site Practice piano 3 times M...

Okay, perhaps best friends is a bit of a stretch, but today I want to share a sewing tip that will {hopefully} help you to not dread using your seam ripper any more! It is, after all, one of the most necessary items in your sewing tool box ! It is never any fun to have to take out all your hard work, but it is sometimes necessary. I am a bit OCD about having everything come out perfectly or at least as close to perfect as possible! =) So, my seam ripper and I have had lots of quality time together over the years. This is the simplest, easiest way I've found to quickly rip out a seam. Lay your piece out so you are looking at one side of your seam. See all the little individual stitches? Slip the point of your seam ripper under one of those stitches and break the thread. Don't pull on it or anything, just break it. Now break stitches all the way down your seam, about every 5 or 6 or 8 stitches apart. The smaller the stitches, the more often you'll need to break one. My stit...